Teenager in second shark attack in Russia in past day

A shark on Thursday attacked a 16-year-old youth in Russia's Primorye region, officials said, a day after a man lost his hands in a similar shark attack unprecedented for the region.

Officials in Primorye's southern Khasan region in Russia's Fareast said the teenager survived the latest attack but received serious injuries.

"One person -- a 16-year-old teenager -- was injured. He received a tear wound to his thigh and his arteries are damaged," the local emergencies ministry told AFP, adding he was now transported for treatment to the regional capital of Vladivostok.

The attack happened after local authorities earlier in the day banned swimming in the area after a shark mauled a 25-year-old man chewing off his hands in an attack that stunned the region.

On Wednesday, a shark attacked the man just 20-25 meters (yards) off shore in the Telyakovsky bay, while Thursday's attack took place near Zheltukhin island, both in the Khasan region which shares a border with North Korea.

"Following the decision of the head of the administration of the Khasan region, swimming is temporarily banned until the reasons for what happened are established," the emergencies ministry said in a statement.

Scientists said shark attacks on humans were unprecedented in the region and emergencies ministry officials have been touring the area prized for its white sandy beaches and clear water to warn tourists against swimming.

Several types of sharks including the herring shark can be spotted in the northwestern part of the Sea of Japan but they do not attack people and swimming there is considered generally safe.